Escape the Kronos - A print & play-in-hand card game!

Welcome to the KRONOS. The ship's captain is panicking, the pilot in injured, there's a mysterious predatory alien on board, and the ship's cat is missing. Will you be able to rally the crew and escape?

ESCAPE THE KRONOS is a simple single-player card game where you manipulate a hand of 13 cards to evade an alien stalking you through a spaceship. Each card has sets of symbols that direct you to move and turn cards, unlocking different rooms, disasters, and personnel that will help or hinder you as the alien slowly advances closer and closer to the front of your hand.

ESCAPE THE KRONOS is a play-in-hand game, meaning all you need to play is the cards in hand! No table, no dice, no tokens, just a hand of cards you turn, move, and shuffle as the game progresses.

I'm bringing ESCAPE THE KRONOS to Backerkit to fund a print run through DriveThruRPG. Backers will be able to get the digital files so they can print and play the game at home, as well as printed cards that will support each game mode. In total there will be 20 cards, single-page rulebooks, and a box to transport your single-player game of sci-fi terror!

Cards will be high quality US poker sized (2.5"x35") and will be shipped in a custom-made tuckbox.

Here I give a brief introduction to the game and play through 3 rounds of the escape mode.

ESCAPE THE KRONOS currently has 1 game mode: ESCAPE which is the basic version of the game. I am planning on 3 more game modes if the game is funded, bringing the total number of cards in the game to 20.

The classic sci-fi horror scenario. In ESCAPE you are aboard the USNC KRONOS with a panicking captain, a wounded pilot, and a missing cat. An alien stalks you through the ship as rooms go dark, fire spreads, and everything around you breaks down. To play you must calm the captain, help the pilot, find the cat, and unlock the lifeboat. All while avoiding the alien so that you can ESCAPE.

By swapping out a few cards you are now ready for HUNT. Make your way to the armoury aboard the KRONOS and get ready to lock and load as you go on a good ol' fashioned bug hunt. Will you get all the ammo and supplies you need in time to kill the raging alien, or will the terrified marine do too much damage before you can save the ship?

By adding just a few cards to the base deck we have a new scenario. The KRONOS is equipped with a state of the art quantum intelligence. But this AI has gone haywire, flipping cards at random, overloading systems, and making it harder than ever to escape the station. Will you reboot the core in time to vent the alien into outer space?

Finally we have the most difficult game mode: CHAOS. Play with all 20 cards to create a maddening puzzle to solve. Will you try to rally your crew to escape? Will you try to deal with the maddening quantum intelligence, or use it's random effects to set up the perfect killing blow and deal with the alien once and for all? In CHAOS mode it is your choice to ESCAPE or KILL the alien. 

The physical cards will be printed on embossed card stock and distributed by DriveThruRPG from their facilities in the USA. After the project has funded and the cards are ready to print, you will receive a complimentary print copy of the game through the DTRPG store, where you will pay for shipment of the cards. All card decks will ship via USPS.

Here are DTRPG's current shipping estimates, all prices in USD:

To celebrate my first project on Backerkit I'm throwing in some TTRPG zines at a discount! I've been making games for the last 6 years, from single player RPGs, to fantasy map making games, and cyberpunk supplements. Over the course of 10+ Kickstarter projects I've accumulated some extra inventory, so take a look at the add-ons and throw in a zine with your pledge. Backers who order add-ons will also get the digital version of their zines.

As part of Pocketopia I'm collaborating with Morgan's Escapes and their project Escape the Lighthouse Keeper, also funding right now on Backerkit! If you back both projects you'll get some special goodies from both of us. I'll be throwing in three exclusive digital cards you can print and play and use in a new game mode: ESCAPE THE PRISON SHIP.